7-Opinion

Wednesday, December 9, 2020 — 5
The Michigan Daily — michigandaily.com
Michigan in Color

Why Writing?

Think of all the things you’ve 

ever written. Essay. Journal 
entry. TikTok comment. What 
did you write it for? To inform 
whoever reads it? To release 
your emotions? To complete 
the essay that you’ve put off all 
of Thanksgiving Break? 

There has to be some mean-

ing or reason behind every-
thing that is written because if 
there isn’t, what’s the purpose 
of it?

By now, The Michigan Daily 

has published thousands of 
articles ranging from sports 
updates to the opening of new 
dispensaries on campus, but 
what holds the most meaning, 
at least to me, is the writing 
that comes from Michigan in 
Color, “an inclusive space by 
and for people of color.” 

My experience with MiC so 

far has made me realize I enjoy 
writing for it because the writ-
ing here, to put it shortly, is 
unique. Unique in that every 
piece comes from the writers’ 
experiences and opinions as 
people of color. Unique in that 
everyone has a different reason 
for why they write.

In MiC ME Maya Mokh’s 

“Why I Joined MiC” she talks 
about how MiC gives a plat-
form for helping other POC 
have a voice and a way to share 

their stories, and she writes to 
find her voice as an Arab, Mus-
lim woman.

Or in senior Lora Faraj’s 

“Why I Joined MiC”, she says 
she writes because of instances 
in her life where subtle acts of 
Islamophobia were ignored, 
and so she hopes to explore a 
mind that has been told to stay 
quiet in those instances — her 
mind.

And in a conversation I 

had with ME Devak Nanua, I 
learned that he writes because 
he does not believe in the nar-
row perception many people 
have as to how an Asian Amer-
ican is supposed to act, so he 
writes to reinvent what being 
Indian American means to 
him. 

As these inspiring seniors 

sadly make their way to the 
end of their time in MiC, there 
is a new wave of writers who 
wish to share their experienc-
es as well.

Freshman Sarah Akaaboune 

told me that she writes because 
it gives her a sense of belong-
ing and validity, and that it 
makes her feel like she takes 
up a space that promotes good 
doings and that respects one 
another.

Freshman Grace Garmo, on 

the other hand, writes for the 
desire to learn more about her-
self through her writing and to 
connect them to her experienc-
es throughout college. Specifi-

cally, she chooses to write for 
MiC because of how much her 
cultural identity has shaped 
her as she struggled with bal-
ancing her ethnic values while 
also 
being 
surrounded 
by 

American standards. Through 
writing, she is able to stay true 

to herself and reflect on how 
she’s changing while still being 
able to hold onto these values. 

This goes to show how time-

less writing is. Issues that 
impact POC are ongoing, and 
with that, writing about the 
experiences, 
journeys 
and 

struggles are ongoing as well.

Reading what the writers of 

MiC produce is one of the best 
ways to learn about the expe-
riences and opinions of POC, 
which is important as it helps 
non-POC recognize the privi-
lege they have, which is why I 

believe the writing from Mich-
igan in Color holds so much 
meaning. 

And despite the unique rea-

sons for why MiC writers craft 
articles, in the end, every writ-
er has a common goal: to be 
heard.

Photo via Unsplash

 HANNAH NGUYEN

MiC Columnist

I’m weary with every red-

hatted someone who walks 
past me at the grocery store. 
I’m afraid that if I take a closer 
look, I’ll be face to face with 
four words in white print, con-
firming the unease I sensed 
at first glance. I’m scared of 
every blue flag that is printed 
with those same four words, 
rippling violently through the 
wind while riding on the back 
of a red pick up truck. Make 
America Great Again. These 
four words adopted by Donald 
Trump and the injustices they 
represent have made me fear-
ful of the very colors that are 
supposed to symbolize pride 

and hope — the same colors 
that represent our nation and 
our flag. I would like to say 
that this fear is a new feeling 
that developed with the use 
of those four words. But that 
would be a lie. The way my 
stomach drops every time I see 
red and blue lights flashing in 
my rearview mirror is not a 
new feeling. I’ve been scared of 
those lights my whole life. I’ve 
always worried that they would 
be the last lights I would ever 
see. This fear has been height-
ened these past four years, but 
it is not new. This fear is rooted 
in the oppression Black people 
have suffered from since the 
foundation of this country. As 
a Black woman, I am hope-
ful that this fear will subside 
with the results of the recent 

election, but this country con-
tinuously perpetuates its sys-
temically oppressive roots so 
us marginalized people know 
better than to think anything 
will change. 

Since 
the 
anxiety-filled 

trainwreck 
that 
was 
elec-

tion week, I keep hearing how 
America needs to heal. People 
keep saying that our country is 
more divided than ever before, 
and we have a lot of work to 
do to get our country back 
to what it was four years ago 
before Trump took office. But 
why would we do that? What 
would we be going back to? 
Other than living a pandemic-
free life, there is not a moment 
in the history of this country 
that we need to revert back 
to. How can we heal a country 
that was founded on the exclu-
sion of so many people? Saying 
that we need to heal is like say-
ing we need to make America 
great again. America was never 
great, and America was never a 
safe and whole place. Anyone 

who is not a white, straight, cis 
gendered, able bodied, middle 
or upper class man has always 
suffered. 
Racism, 
sexism, 

islamophobia, transphobia and 
homophobia are just a few ide-
ologies this country embraced 
since its beginning. These ide-
ologies will continue to exist if 
we keep pretending like every-
thing was okay before 2016. 
When the fifty states are all 
mapped out and colored red 
or blue, it is easy to see how 
divided the country is. But 
the inequities marginalized 
groups of people have faced in 
America are not always nicely 
laid out on paper and easily 
defined, and just because the 
oppression is invisible to some, 
doesn’t mean it is nonexistent. 

I can agree that these last 

four years have been brutal. 
The Trump Administration has 
brought out the ugly in Ameri-
ca. But the key is “brought out”. 
Trump was only as successful 
as the people who voted for 
and supported him allowed 

for him to be. His hateful prin-
ciples are not unique; they did 
not just appear out of thin air. 
If people did not agree with 
his values, he would not have 
been able to secure the presi-
dency in the first place. Yes the 
families that were lost and sep-
arated under the U.S Immigra-
tion and Customs Enforcement 
need to be found and brought 
back together, but how will we 
get rid of the hateful ideologies 
that put them in this situa-
tion in the first place? Revert-
ing back to how things were 
before these past few years, or 
“healing” will only leave these 
hateful beliefs hidden with no 
way of knowing who possesses 
them, or when or if they will 
come out again. This leaves 
anyone the power to reinstate 
the harm we are trying to get 
rid of.

While I am scared every time 

I see Trump’s infamous “Make 
America Great Again” phrase 
on a lawn sign, I am also filled 
with rage. I am angry that 

Black people have been suffer-
ing for so long. I am exhausted 
after reading countless tweets 
defending his actions. I am 
frustrated to find out how 
so many people who I once 
trusted and called my friends 
are eager to vote against basic 
human rights, my rights. I feel 
hopeless because as I sit here 
and write this piece, and think 
about the injustices this coun-
try was built on, I’m having a 
hard time imagining what a 
semi-just society would look 
like. A country where every-
one is loved and accepted? 
That seems impossible. I do 
know that until politicians are 
able to face the truth and own 
up to the corrupt mess that is 
America, we will never grow 
to be the country marginal-
ized individuals deserve to live 
in. America needs to wake up 
to its multitude of faults and 
work to become the great place 
it has claimed to be. I am sick 
of being afraid and I am sick of 
being angry.

Photo via Unsplash

‘Healing’

MARIA PATTON

MiC Columnist